"I'm happy with what I'm doing and I feel like I can make a contribution to the young people, and they respond to do things the right way and is actually benefiting them to help them be more successful in their life. As long as I'm healthy and can do that and I'm happy doing it, then I'm going to do it."

Saban, 62, has coached the two-time defending national champion Crimson Tide to three BCS titles in the last four years. Alabama is 11-0 this season under Saban and owns the No. 1 spot in the BCS standings entering Saturday's showdown against rival Auburn.

When initially asked in the interview how long he will continue coaching, Saban laughed before responding, "That's not the best question, but it's the toughest one."

Saban, who is under contract at Alabama through the 2019 season, acknowledged it will be "difficult" for him to end his coaching career.

"I can't really put a timetable on that," he said during the interview. "I've said this before, though, I know that whenever I don't do it -- because I've been a part of a team since I was 10 years old, whether it was Little League or Pop Warner football, playing something all the time and I've been involved in coaching for almost 40 years.

"So I know it's going to be difficult not to do it. But as long as I feel good about it and enjoy doing it and the players respond the way they should ... then there's a lot of positive self-gratification in it. And we're going to continue to do it."